Dark Nights in Tokyo
by Andreille LeFlore
Summary: Yusuke discovers the root of all evil when he learns that an ancient and evil demon is sucking the life out of innocent people. Even Kurama senses something is amiss...
1. Prolouge

Yu Yu Hakusho

Prolouge

Today was just as boring as any other day for teen delinquent, Yusuke Urameshi. He, just as usual, fell asleep in all of his classes and made a terrible grade in everything.  
He had a reputation as the toughest kid at Sarayashiki Junior High, and the toughest kid in town, in fact. He wasn't a friendly person, and he would pick a fight with anyone he darn well pleased. However, he had SOME friends.  
The one friend who's stood by him the longest, since he was real little, was a girl named, Keiko. She's known Yusuke forever. If you were to ask anyone, they would say that Keiko was Yusuke's girlfriend. And any and all excuses were more than welcome to deny this.  
And not only her, but someone else, Yusuke, although he would never admit it, couldn't live without, was Kazuma Kuwabara. This boy was a strange one. He also had a reputation as the second-toughest kid at Sarayashiki Junior High. Kazuma doesn't like it when people refer to him by his first name, so naturally, everybody calls him Kuwabara. He's got this weird likeness for kittens, (strange I know!), and has one in particular, called Eikichi. Even if Yusuke denied being Kuwabara's friend, it was evident, that by the way they fought, that they were very good friends.  
Yusuke was throwing wads of paper at the back of Kuwabara's head, when he, for the third time that week, got called to the principle's office, (after all, it was only Wednesday!)  
And, again, for the second time that semester, was told that if he didn't straighten up, he would be expelled...  
again!  
Yusuke's lifestyle is modeled a bit after the pattern of his life, and his life isn't an easy one. His father is nowhere to be seen, and his mother is a long time alchoholic. Yusuke would never admit to it, but he worries about his mother alot.  
She isn't a perfect mother, but does everything she can to help him be more sucessful in life than she was. All though she tries so hard to straighten Yusuke up, he only seems to become more rebellious. If anyone can keep Yusuke in line, it would have to be Keiko.Yusuke isn't your average everyday kid. He has a life outside of this one. The life he leads otherwise, is twice as dangerous. He defends the human realm from demons, apparitions, and spirits of all sorts.  
Yusuke is a spirit detective.  
Kuwabara also has a unique lifestyle outside of this one. He is Yusuke's friend and sidekick in defeating every evil thing that comes along.  
How they got that job...  
is another story.  
Yusuke, whom everyone at school feared, went totally against his reputation...  
by saving a kid from a speeding car.  
It, however, wasn't how or the time he was supposed to die. So, the judge of the dead, Koenma, gave Yusuke a second chance at life, if he would be a spirit detective.  
Before he could return to his physical body, he had to undergo some other things. One of the first things that had a lasting impression on him, (and still lasting!), was the Pilot of the River Styx, named Botan. In Western mythology, she is commonly known as the Grim Reaper. She however isn't a skeleton in a black robe carrying a scythe, but a cheery, chipper, girl with blue hair, who rides an oar. (typical!) Yusuke seems to have a problem with her cheery attitude, which comes as no surprise to anyone.

Another thing, which is still lasting, is his spirit companion, Puu. In order to return to life he had to hatch an egg, which gave birth to what Kuwabara refers to as, "A blue penguin." Puu is connected to Yusuke in spirit, which means that everything that Yusuke feels, Puu feels too.  
After he had returned to his body, Yusuke brought back with him, some incredible abilities. These spirit powers, were a result of spending time in the Reikai, (also known as the spirit world.)  
His best known attack, called, "the spirit wave," is one of his most powerful. It was taught to him by his teacher and mentor named, Genkai.  
She held a contest to see who she would pass this ability on to. Kuwabara also intered into this contest, but Yusuke won. It was here that Yusuke met one of his first demon rivals known as Rando. Kuwabara also learned a new move of his own called the "spirit sword." Kuwabara's spirit sword ability is a result of his having ESP or as we know it, a sixth sense. The spirit sword is a physical extension of his Rei, or spirit energy, in the form of a sword.

Yusuke during his duties has made other friends along the way. One of his first major jobs, was that of recovering, the Three Artifacts of Darkness. Two of the thieves ended up becoming his friends. One of them is very unique, in that he is a reformed demon. He is now in a human body. This demon used to be refered to as "the Legendary Bandit, Youko Kurama." He was injured, and had to go to the Ningankai, (the Human world) to be reborn in the body of Shuuichi Minamino. There, Kurama, as he is refered to by the others, learned the meaning of kindness, which Yusuke admired. He had stolen the Forlorn Hope, which was a mirror that granted wishes for the cost of a soul a piece. Kurama attempted to sacrifice his own human soul, to save his ill mother, but was spared by the mirror for Yusuke's good deed of offering to give up his own soul instead.

The other demon is a half fire, half ice demon known as Hiei. Hiei has had a terrible life, in that he was exiled from his kind because he was a fire demon, and given the name, "The Forbidden Child." His mother was an ice demon who had been with a fire demon. This act is a terrible thing, so his mother's best friend threw Hiei over a cliff as a baby. From there he was seperated from his sister known as Yukina. Before she threw him from the cliff, she gave to Hiei and Yukina, two gems. One each. As he grew, he lived the life of a bandit, and at a very young age was considered an A-class demon. After he had left the group, he had his third eye implanted, at the cost of his gem, which he later got back. He had stolen the sword of darkness, which he used on Keiko. Yusuke defeated him and as punishment, Hiei had to join Yusuke's team. If Hiei were to kill a human he would suffer a terrible fate or even death.  
Yusuke went through the Dark Tournament, and other things which shaped the fate of the world. And no matter how many times he risked his life, he never stopped fighting anyway...


	2. Another Day for the Spirit Detective

Yu Yu Hakusho

Chapter 1: Another Day for the Spirit Detective

Since all of his trials, it seems as though Yusuke would never get a break from reality, or even Koenma, for that matter.

"Yusuke! Yusuke, wake up!"  
"Is it morning already? Five more minutes, ma!"  
"Yusuke, class is over, it's time to go home!"  
"Huh? Keiko? How long was I asleep?"  
"For almost an hour. C'mon, Yusuke!"  
"I'll be there in a minute! Lemme just get my bag."

Yusuke's day had begun like any other day. Wake up, go to school, beat somebody up, (preferably Kuwabara, who's never won a fight with him.), sleep during class, lunch, sleep some more, beat someone up again (I repeat, 'Kuwabara'), P.E., ditch P.E., sleep a little bit more, then go home.  
As he was about to leave, Kuwabara blocked his way.

"Where ya going, Urameshi?"  
"None of your business, Kuwabara."  
"Hey, try to figure out who's waiting outside for you. I'll give you three guesses."  
"Well, here's my first guess. It's not Keiko."  
"You're absolutely right! He he he."

Yusuke knew good and well it wasn't Keiko. It was Botan, ready to assign Yusuke another mission. As he came out the door, he immediately told Botan off.

"No way, Botan! I'm not fighting anymore demons. If you want somebody to get rid of it, ask Hiei, Kurama, or Kuwabara even!"  
"Wow, Yusuke, you MUST be desperate to suggest asking Kuwabara! I'm sorry, Yusuke but you don't have much choice, now do you?"

Botan loved to see Yusuke get mad. Every time he thought he had it made, Koenma always had him fighting another demon. This, Yusuke resented.

"What is it this time?" He said drearily.  
"This demon's a real mystifier. From what I've gotten he just popped up from outta nowhere!"  
" 'Outta nowhere?!' C'mon, Botan, be serious here. A demon can't just pop up out of nowhere."  
"Well this one did, and it's been terrifying teenagers!"  
"Teenagers? What's it want with them? They been making prank phone calls to the Makai?"  
"And you say I need to be serious. This pop-up demon has been trying to hurt a select few kids at a nearby junior high."  
"Which one is it?"  
"Hmm.. the name. Oh! Here it is! It's called Orafani Junior High." Just then, Kuwabara butted in.  
"Oh, I know that school. I heard they have great cafateria food!"  
"Kuwabara, pay attention! There's a demon attacking innocent kids here!"  
"Sorry.""So... when am I supposed to check it out?" Botan continued.  
"Tomorrow. During class, I suppose.""Great. I can finally get out of that boring prison camp, they call school."  
"Then it's settled. Tomorrow, you'll go see just what it is he's after."

And off she went, without another word.

"Hey, Yusuke, do you mind if I come with? I kinda want to check it out and see what kind of food they got in there!"

Yusuke only made a face, and nodded his head, before turning around to catch up with Keiko.

"Hey, Yusuke. What took you so long?"  
"Uh, it was nothing. I just had to teach Kuwabara a lesson."  
"Oh no, don't tell me. Another demon?"  
"How'd ya guess?" said Yusuke sarcastically.

Keiko knew what it was like to be away from Yusuke for a long time due to his fighting demons. She had never really understood just what it was all about up until The Dark Tournament, where she finally realized what kind of dangers Yusuke was facing. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't get used to it...

"Do you know where it's at?"  
"Yeah. It's at that fancy rich kids school on the other side of town."  
"I'm not sure just what it is you have against that school, but I think it's nice. I heard they prepare you for stuff most schools don't teach."  
"THAT'S what I don't like about it. Just another boring old school you have to suffer through. I think it's worse than ours. Not only that, but it costs serious money to go there. And if they're preparing you for stuff other schools don't teach, then it's probably twice as long too!"  
"Oh, Yusuke."

The day was nearing it's end as Yusuke walked home. He started kicking a pebble that he came upon on the sidewalk, not noticing where he was walking.

OOF!

"Hey! Watch where you're going, okay?!"  
"My apologies."

Just when Yusuke thought he had been through enough for one day, who should he run into, but Kurama.

"Sorry, Kurama, I wasn't exactly watching where I was going."  
"It's all right. You seem a bit frustrated, Yusuke. Anything wrong? Perhaps you heard about the mystery demon on the loose?"  
"How'd you know about that?!"  
"I've been sensing it. ...a strong presence. The energy I've been feeling is very familiar. ...somehow, as if I've sensed it before."  
"Well, whatever it is, it apparently hasn't met Yusuke Urameshi, 'cuz if he had, he'd know better than to mess around in my town! When I do find him, I'm gonna kick his ass!"  
"I can tell you're not just saying that to be brave. It seems to me, that you just want to get the demon out of the way."  
"Yeah, so?! If you were me, you would want him out of your way to!"  
"I suppose. Well, it's getting late. I should head home. Mother might start to worry. You should head home too, Yusuke. You don't want your mother to worry, now would you?" And with this, he walked off, waving to Yusuke. Yusuke somehow, although a little worried, (yeah right!) got to sleep with no trouble at all.


	3. Not Enough Evidence

Yu Yu Hakusho

Chapter 2: Not Enough Evidence

A new day had dawned, and as usual, Yusuke's mother was thrilled to see Yusuke wake up. He had started to get used to this, and had a response memorized for this very ocassion.

"Yes, mother. I'm awake, just like yesterday."

After prying Atsuko's arms from around him, he got dressed and headed out the door...

after having to hear his mom tell him to be careful seven times in a row. Yusuke soon met up with Keiko at the corner.

"Good morning, Yusuke!"  
"Aw, what's so good about it, Keiko?"  
"Stop being such a grumpy Gus, and come on!"

Keiko was in an unusually cheerful mood today, and it was ticking Yusuke off. But he couldn't help but be thankful to be here. With a small smile, he followed Keiko the rest of the way to school.

"Come on, Yusuke, we're gonna be late!"  
"I'm going as fast as I can!"

Yusuke rushed into school, and met up with Kuwabara. After roll call, Yusuke and Kuwabara were obviously planning to do something, because they kept whispering to each other. Keiko knew by experience, that Yusuke wasn't going to stick around, and braced herself for the moment she would turn around and see Yusuke and Kuwabara gone.

"There they go..." she thought to herself.

Yusuke, in no time at all, had rushed off after waking up from his first class, with Kuwabara not far behind.

"The school's right up ahead."  
"Man, this place is gigantic!"  
"Yeah, tell me about it. I bet they're one of those schools that has a seperate bathroom for the students, the teachers, and the janitor!"

As they looked around they noticed that it was much fancier than they had thought. It had two seperate fields. One which looked as though it were a track and another which looked like a tennis court. Another building caught their eye, that from what they could tell, was a gym and an indoor swimming pool.

"I dunno how these people afford to send their brats here."  
"Me neither. Look, there's an open door, let's sneak in that way."  
"'kay."

Kuwabara had spoken to soon, because just as they were about to go in, someone appeared at the door who thought that they were students trying to play hooky, (and they were.) Without question, he swept them inside.

"WHOA!"

'Whoa' was right. The expression they got from the outside of the school building, was just as good an expression for the inside. The school, like a main library, had it's own lobby. And in the center of the lobby was what looked like a secretary. She was at her desk looking at some papers. She had a tiresome look about her. Just then, she began to speak.

"Your name, please?"  
"Uh, see, we... uh, don't go here. We're kinda just looking around, he he."  
"Oh, I see. You're one of those curious students."  
"Curious students?"  
"That's right. Ever since those attacks started, kids from other schools have started coming up here and asking questions and looking around... No good busybodies."  
"What exactly has been happening up here?" Yusuke asked."According to the victims, they claimed to have seen snakes before they were attacked."  
"Snakes?"  
"Yup, snakes. Or something like them. They said they were long and skiny things that wiggled around. They said that the things attacked them, and tried to get under their skin. One of the snakes succesfully attacked a student. He claims that it drained him of all his energy."

While Yusuke was getting information, Kuwabara decided to have a nice look around. Books adorned the walls, almost as if it WERE a library. Perhaps it was a library... for the school. Kuwabara fingered through the books until he came across a particularly red one. It was somewhat large, and seemed to have some kind of foreign language written on the edges of it's spine. He then pulled it out to examine it, when he noticed yet another language on it's cover edges. He turned it over to discover that there was a third language for the back edges, and was written in English, something he couldn't understand.(Why WERE there three different languages for one book?) He then looked at the title.

"Hmm, The Lord of the Rings. This looks like a pretty cool book."  
He opened it to find a long strand of hair wedged between the pages. Just then, Yusuke summoned him to leave.

"Come on, let's go."  
"Did ya find anything?"  
"No, not really, but from what she told me, it sounds exactly like a demon."

Just then, Kuwabara looked down only to notice that the firmly wedged strand of hair had disappeared. He had neither moved the hair, sloped the book, or even pulled the hair out. It was almost as if the hair... had moved on it's own. Kuwabara decided not tell Yusuke, because he decided that he was only seeing things, (which Yusuke, probably would have thought if he had told him this.)


	4. Where the Truth Lies

Yu Yu Hakusho

Chapter 3: Where the Truth Lies

If anyone was more annoyed, it'd have to be Kurama. He knew something that nobody else knew, and he wasn't telling. As he was walking, he felt something touch his shoulder. It was a leaf that had fallen from a tree. He looked up, but saw nothing.

"You can come out now, Hiei. I know you're there."  
"Trouble at school, Kurama?"  
"Not really. It's nothing."  
"It's more than just nothing. I can tell by the expression on your face. Now tell me. What's wrong?"  
"I've been feeling guilty lately. But I don't know why. I believe it might have something to do with my past, but I'm not so sure. I hadn't started to feel like this until I began feeling that demon's presence, lately."  
"Perhaps you have some connection with the demon?"  
"Yes. You might be right."

They chatted a little more before they parted ways. This was common seeing as how Kurama and Hiei were close friends that go back as far as junior high. Kurama is someone who when talked to, would always listen and always seemed to have the solution to a problem. However, Hiei isn't the conversational type when it comes to talking to people other than Kurama.

It was obvious to Kurama that this demon had some sort of connection with him, because he couldn't get it off of his mind. Every day he passed by the junior high, he felt that same demon's presence. Though sometimes, it was weaker than others, as if it had been moving around...

almost as if it had been doing something else.

Kurama couldn't let it go, so he decided that it would be best if he helped Yusuke and Kuwabara find the demon. He thought that it might clear his guilty conscience. As he was walking home, he met up with Yusuke and Kuwabara on the sidewalk.

"Did you find anything?"  
"No. It was all for nothing. If I knew it was gonna be like this, then I would of found some other way out of it."  
"I was wondering if you would allow me to assist you in finding the demon. I hope my being there, doesn't come as a burden to you."  
"Naw, that's cool. This demon doesn't seem to exist when it comes to finding out where it could be, so I hate to admit it, but...  
I could use all the help that I can get."

"They decided to walk together. Kuwabara still hadn't told Yusuke what he saw, and it was bothering him. He knew he had to tell somebody, and that somebody would have to be Kurama.

"PSST PSST"

It took a while before Kurama answered, because he thought it was Yusuke who he was trying to speak to.

"Is there something you need?"  
"I gotta tell you something, Kurama. While we were at that school, I picked up a book and decided to look at it. When I opened it, there was a strand of hair in between the pages. Yusuke called me. That's when I looked up. But, when I looked back down, the hair was gone! I never moved it or anything!"  
"That is a bit perplexing."  
"So do you think it has something to do with our demon?"  
"Yes, it probably does. I've been feeling the same presence coming from just outside of town. It seems to be eminating from a cave that lies just east of here. Right behind the school. It also comes from not too far ahead. From one of the many houses in the neighbourhood, no doubt."  
"So what you're saying is that it's not far away at all?"  
"Yes."  
Kuwabara felt reassured now that he had this off of his chest. He also now knew where to find the demon. But how would he be able to tell Yusuke what he had just found out, without him growing suspicous? This was something that would have to wait until later.

Returning to school, Yusuke found Keiko and Botan were waiting for them just outside.

"So. How did it go?" The face Botan had when she said this, caught Kurama's attention. She knew something that Yusuke didn't.  
"Bad. We didn't find anything but how he attacked the students. He was dr--"  
"He was draining the student's spirit energy."

Kurama decided to tell what had been going on, since what Kuwabara had told him confirmed his suspicions. He knew who the demon was after all.

"He is a parasite demon. He uses his hair to drain energy. It attaches itself to a living organism and than finds it's way inside the victim's body, where it, without their knowing it, lives off of the person until they're too weak to fight back. Then the demon itself, when the time is right, does away with them."

"EVERYBODY was speechless, including Botan, who had just acquired new information regarding the demon's whereabouts.

"So you don't need my help then?"  
Kurama only smiled and Yusuke spoke up.

"Well, we still don't know where to look."  
"Hey, we can help there!" Keiko and Botan were finally ready to tell what they knew.

"The demon was last spotted in a cave that connects to a small valley area outside of here. You can't miss it."  
"Hey! We already knew th--" Kurama quieted him before he could finish. Kuwabara had just realized his mistake.

"Uh, I mean, thanks, Botan"

After a strange look from both Botan and Keiko, they all split up and headed home.

Yusuke was more than eager to get this demon out of his way, so that he could resume his so-called "normal" lifestyle. But what was really bothering Kurama. was what he might have to face later on ahead. They all prepared for the next day, and everyone settled down to a peaceful sleep except Kurama and Yusuke, who thought about what tomorrow would bring. Little did they know what kind of surprise would be waiting for them outiside the cave…


	5. A Surprise for Kuwabara

Yu Yu Hakusho

Chapter 4: A Surprise for Kuwabara

The very next day was luckily for everybody, a Saturday, and everyone was up and ready to go...

except Yusuke, who was awakened by his mother AGAIN in the same way.

"Oh, my baby! Yusuke, you're awake!"  
"Yes, mother. Just like yesterday," he said grogily.

In no time at all, he was dressed and ready to head out the door. He had talked to himself all night about how he was going to kick that demon's butt, but felt something in his gut telling him that it wouldn't be as easy as he had hoped.

He met up with the others just outside of school.

"So are you guys ready to go?"  
"Yep," Kuwabara replied.

As they had made their way to the entrance of the cave they looked out at the many flowers and trees growing around the area. Untouched by man, and growing beautifully with only the help of the sun and the rain, this made Kurama feel right at home. Their concentration on the wild flowers was broken by something unexpected.

"What are you doing here, shrimp?!"

Kuwabara was as surprised as anyone else at the sight of the one person whom nobody expected to be there (exept maybe, Kurama)...

Hiei. He was standing at the entrance of the cave, examining it.

"I'm only here to see if this demon is the one which Kurama refered to. I've no time to deal with fools like you."

Hiei wasn't the kind of person to admitt he wanted to help, but it was still obvious to Yusuke and Kurama and that that was what he was doing there even though he never said it.

"Well, I don't have time to deal with you either, so get lost!"

Hiei only rolled his eyes at Kuwabara before walking on. Kurama and Kuwabara walked along side Yusuke as he followed Hiei into the mouth of the cave. Kurama felt a strong demon presence almost as if it were a portal to the Makai. Hiei probably felt the same way too, because he seemed to look in every direction as if demons were ready to attack. Kurama seemed to follow Hiei's method of expectancy, and told the others to be wary of any danger.

As they looked on, they spied creatures staring at them from above. The beings were apparently small, as their eyes seemed to be close together. They walked along the way, the many forms began to become more clear. They were quite small in fact, no bigger than the size of a small ball. They came in a variety of bright, friendly colors such as light blue or pink. This caused the group to wonder. Some steps further on ahead, one of the little creatures began to creep ever so closer to them...

Closer...

A little closer...

Suddenly...

IT POUNCED!!!

"Hey, get off of me!" Yusuke cried.

The tiny demon had landed on one of the most presumtuous spots... his head. This was in fact Puu's favorite spot to sit. Not in his lap, not in his hands... but on his head.

"Geez, I gotta take this crap from Puu, and now I hafta take it from some demon?!"

Yusuke was still trying to dispatch of the demon, but it was of no use... until...

CLAP Kurama clapped his hands, and the small thing leaped from his head. Soon after all the little beings receded into the shadows.

"How'd you do that, Kurama?"  
"It's simple. These types of demons are sensitive to loud noises. A simple sound such as the clapping of my hands was enough to scare him away."  
"Leave it to Kurama to know what to do!" Replied Kuwabara snickering at Yusuke, who's hair was ruffled up due to the squabble with the demon.

"I expected the demon to have run off after all the yelling Yusuke put up." said Hiei with a smirk as he walked ahead of them.

"No one asked your opinion, Hiei! Besides, we've got bigger problems to deal with, like that demon that we... JUST CAN'T SEEM TO FIND!!!!!"

All of the yelling created an echo that shook the cave. Kurama had a look of embarassment on his face which turned into a remark to Yusuke's yelling.

"QUIET! This cave isn't safe. if you yell too much then--"  
"I know, I know. We'll get caved in, or some more stinkin' demons will attack right?! I get it! Stop worrying so much already, Kurama. Besides, my Spirit Gun will get us out of it right? Right?!"

There was no response from anyone, all that there was, was a small 'Hn.' from Hiei, Kuwabara shrugged his shoulders, and they kept on walking.

"Fine! Don't answer me! See if I care!" He exclaimed as he stormed off, ahead of the others.


	6. Demon Rivalry

Yu Yu Hakusho

Chapter 5: Demon Rivalry

Not too long into the cave they encountered another delima.

"Aw man! Two ways?!" cried Kuwabara, in surprise.

"I got an idea. We'll play Eenie Meenie Minie Moe to see which way we're going!" "Eenie- Meenie- Minie- Moe- Catch a tiger by his--"  
"Would you be quiet, you fool?!" said Hiei immediately. Kurama soon intervened.

"It would be much simpler to seperate and go both ways."  
"Great idea!" continued Yusuke. "You and I will go this way, and Hiei and Kuwabara will go that way."  
"Why do I have to go with short stuff over here, Urameshi?!"  
"Because I said so! I don't want to stick around with you!"

Just as Yusuke and Kuwabara were about fight, Hiei spoke up and put in his two cents.

"I don't really care which way we go, so long as I don't have to suffer with that baka ningan..."  
"I wish you would stop calling me that, midget!"  
"Care to rethink your insult, or should I make you take it back myself?"  
"We don't need to fight. Let's just go one way for now and see what's there before we go the other way.

If it hadn't been for Kurama stepping in. They would have been in that same spot all night. Now that they were finally walking again, things seemed to be going smoother, except that Hiei and Kuwabara were on opposite sides of Yusuke and Kurama. Hiei on Yusuke's right, and Kuwabara on Kurama's left. Yusuke and Kurama flashed a small smile to each other at the sight of Hiei and Kuwabara's fighting, not knowing of the danger that lay ahead.

The cave began to shake and move.

"What's THAT!?!" yelled Kuwabara over all the noise. Kurama was quick to respond.

"I'm not sure, but my first assumption is that it's the demon we're searching for."  
"I SMELL HUMANS!!! AND DEMONS TOO!!!" A scratchy and whispery like voice echoed through the cave.

"It's the demon! Now's our chance!"  
"Wait, Yusuke, shouldn't we see what the demon is before we--"  
"No way, Kurama, we need to get this overwith right now! I'm sick and tired of doing all of Koenma's dirty work. The sooner we kill it, the sooner we get out of here, and the sooner I can get back to my regular old, boring life!" But before they could even consider attacking, a strange and eerie force sent shivers up Kuwabara's spine.

"Guys, I-I think something's coming."  
"Not now Kuwabara, We need to get this demon outta our way first!"  
"I'm serious here, Yusuke. Something's h-headed this w-way!"  
"FINE! What is it?! Some of your jokes a...gain?"

Their demon was neither in front of or behind them but was in fact on...the ceiling.

The demon jumped from wall to wall in a matter of seconds; as fast as Hiei even. It soon landed in front of them. It was blue and lanky, it had long, yellow teeth which looked as though they had not been brushed in years. It had big yellow and red eyes, which were afixated on the four of them.

''This guy doesn't look so tough. Koenma wanted us to get rid of him?!" Said Yusuke with overconfidence.

"I don't think that's what Koenma wanted us to get rid of..."

Not long after Kuwabara stated that, did dozens more of these demons appear. Too surprised at the large number of them, only Hiei and Kurama noticed the large flock of smaller demons they had encountered earlier, crowded behind them in fear. They had been following them the whole time. The tiny creatures trembled at the sight of the larger beasts.

"MASTER, MASTER! We've found them!"  
"What's he mean, 'They've found us?!'" said Kuwabara.  
"LOOK! Back there!" yelled, Yusuke, which broke Kurama's focus on the small demons.

A quite surprising sight awaited him. A demon in a more human-like form came after the mass of demons that had gathered. He was around seven feet tall and had brownish black hair that went to his feet. He had rather big bat-like wings, which attention could only be taken away from by his tail, yellow eyes, pointy ears, or his sharp claws, which were hard not to notice.

It wasn't his description that caught Kurama's attention, but the fact that he knew him!

"What do you want, Yokaryu?!"  
"Wait a minute! Kurama, you know this demon?!" said Yusuke in surprise.  
"Yes, he does know me, young detective." The demon suddenly spoke before Kurama could even answer Yusuke's question.

"All right! I want answers! Right now! What's going on here?! How do you two know each other?!"

Again, before Kurama could speak, the demon intervened.

"You ask a lot of questions, don't you? You'll get your answers... soon. But not before I get my revenge!" As soon as he said this, he quickly began to charge at Kurama, with such blinding speed, that only a blur could be seen of him every now and then.

"Kurama, behind you!" After Kurama heard this, he leaped out of the way, just barely missing the attack.  
"Thank you, Kuwabara."  
"It seems you still have your agility, Youko Kurama!" He laughed maniacally, so maniacally in fact, that it brought even Hiei to question Kurama.  
"Tell me, Kurama. Who is this fool?"  
"His name is Yokaryu. He was a minor obstical in my way, during one of my thefts. He was supposed to be the greatest thief, until I came along. When he heard about me, he challenged me, to see who was the better thief, but over all... who was the better demon. Guess who won."

As Hiei and Kurama smirked at each other over Kurama's last comment, the demon began to growl.

"It should have been me who won! You hear me?! ME!"  
"Someone's got anger issues!" said Kuwabara. Smiling at Kuwabara's joke, Kurama continued.  
"I'm not finished. When he challenged me, he asked that if he lost, if he could join me. But somewhere during that time his jealousy of me being the greater of us two seemed to resurface, causing him to want revenge for losing to me." "He wanted so much to kill me, but couldn't. Every attempt... failed."  
"It may have failed before, but this time I'm sure I'll win!"

He began to charge once more, but this time, he didn't go after Kurama... It was Kuwabara he was after!

"KUWABARA!!!!!" They all yelled.

The demon was too fast for him to get out of the way.

"SPIRIT GUN!" Yusuke cried.

A large and powerful blast headed Kuwabara's way, straight at the demon, making a direct hit.

"YEAH! Team Urameshi:1 Yokaryu:0!"

Yusuke was so full of pride, that he hadn't noticed the other demons headed his way.

"YUSUKE!"To Yusuke's surprise, Kurama's long whip lashed past his head, just barely missing his cheek, but also taking out the demons as well.  
"WHOA! Where'd that come from!?"  
"You should have been paying more close attention, you baka!"

Although he was fighting the demons off with his katana, Hiei somehow, like always, had time for insults.

It was, however, Kuwabara, that noticed the absence of Yokaryu.

"Hey, you guys, that Yokaryu guy is gone! Any idea where he went?"  
After Hiei disposed of the last demon, Yusuke began to realize the same thing.

"NO WAY! DAMMIT! How could we be so stupid?!"  
"We? I can think of many ways you two ningans could be so stupid..."  
"Quiet, Hiei! I'm not in the mood for any of your smart-ass insults right now!"

Yusuke was, in fact, his angriest right now. He sneered at Hiei, just before running off to look for Yokaryu. 'Hn.' was all that was heard before Hiei himself walked off in the opposite direction. The many tiny demons parted and allowed him to walk through. At this he replied with another, 'Hn.' ,but kept on walking. They watched in awe as he disappeared into the darkness of the cave.

"Hey, Yusuke, come back. YUSUKE!!!" It was obvious to Kurama, that Kuwabara's yelling was not helping, but only frightening the tiny demons more.  
"What'll we do now, Kurama?"  
"I suppose we'll just have to go after them, after all there's nothing more we can do."  
"Well I'm not going after Hiei, you are!"  
"Very well. We'll meet at the end of the cave in an hour. Agreed?"  
"Uh... Sure! Whatever you say!"

And with that they parted ways for the time...

As they walked off, the small demons formulated a plan and began to head off in Hiei's direction.


	7. When Demon Meets Girl

Yu Yu Hakusho

Chapter 6: When Demon Meets Girl

Not long after Kuwabara and Kurama had seperated, did Yusuke find the end of the cave.

"Ahh. Sweet sunlight!" Yusuke mused. "Now to find that stupid demon." But just before he could come to a run, he noticed that his path had been blocked by the small demons which were found in the cave.

"Please don't go!"  
"Those things can talk?!" Yusuke thought.  
"Why should I listen to you?" he said, hiding his surprise.  
"Please, we beg of you, don't go! It's much too dangerous."  
"Nothing's too dangerous for me! I'm going and that's that!"

As he took off, one of the many demons grabbed him by the pant leg and wouldn't let go. He soon fell face first onto the ground.

"Whad'dya do that for, ya darn puffball?!"  
"Please, you must listen to us. That demon is our master! You mustn't hurt him!"  
" 'Mustn't hurt him,' 'MUSTN'T HURT HIM?!?' That demon threatened the life of my friends!!!! I'm not letting him get away with that!"  
"There is something you don't know about him. He too, like your friend Kurama, is...  
a reformed demon."  
"W-What?!"

The expression on his face was different then any he had ever thought would come upon his face. The small demon who's name was "Nagimi" continued the story as Yusuke sat up.

"Not too long after your friend was injured and had to go to the Ningankai, did the same or very similar ordeal face our master. He too was injured and was living out the rest of his life in the body of a human. It was a human girl."  
"So... let me guess, something went wrong."  
"Yes. I'm afraid so. Our master's human self and demon self, unlike your friend, Kurama, interfaced... in other words, both of their souls inhabited the same body.

Yusuke's eyes widened when he heard this.

"As she grew, he grew with her learning to be kind and learning more about his good self. With that, his love, as well as his love for the girl, began to grow. He would do anything to make her happy, even...  
hurt someone."  
"So you're saying that he would KILL people just to make her happy?!"  
"Yes. I'm afraid that is also true. The problem began, when she was wronged by her fellow peers. She was--"  
"Here we go again with this friends thing, about them turning on ya! BLAH BLAH BLAH! I've heard the whole song and dance before. Okay?!"  
Yusuke had interupted for the third time."AS I WAS SAYING..." continued Nagimi angrily...  
"Was that in the hour of her need, her friends had mocked and ridiculed her, after all she had been through with them for so many years. She was so devastated by their betrayal that she had no idea what was to happen.  
She had a code of honor to never turn her back on a friend no matter what the case. She had never expected her friends to do this to her, so--"  
"Sounds like a certain someone I know called, 'Kuwabara.'"  
"CAN'T YOU EVER LISTEN TO SOMETHING WITHOUT INTERUPTING?! Ahem"  
Yusuke jumped, nearly toppling over, but continued to listen.

"His anger of the situation was beginning to rise due to her sadness. Fueled by this anger, he had regained enough Spirit energy and power to seperate his spirit from her body completely!"  
"What!? So you're saying that he's in his original form right now?!"  
"No, not exactly. He used the body of one of our fellow demons to regain his original form. Not his own body. He made a promise to avenge her. And that promise brought back his old emotionless self. Although he still has his human emotions with him and his love for her, his old self is taking him over again. And his wish to see Youko Kurama dead, has returned as well."  
"Hmm. I have an idea. Do you guys know were to find the girl? Do you know anything about her, like what her name is or something?"  
"Yes, we do! We know that she's 14 and that she goes to a school called Orafani Junior High. And that sh--"  
"Hold on a minute! She goes to Orafani Junior High?!"  
"Mm-hm. Is something wrong?"  
"No way! Not at all! You guys just answered one of the biggest questions we had!"

Yusuke now knew what they had been trying to figure out, and had all of the information to create the missing link they were trying to find. Now Yusuke was ready to find this girl and do what he came to do, but first he had to get a little steam off, and he knew the perfect way to do it.


	8. A Quick Quiz and a Lost Kitten

Yu Yu Hakusho

Chapter 7: A Quick Quiz and a Lost Kitten

As the time passed Hiei continued walking with the small demons tagging behind. Apparently, they thought he had no idea of their presence, because Hiei just barely stopped, when every last one of them stopped as well... all of them on top off each other anyways. Hiei only smirked and continued walking once more. There was perfect silence except the sound of his footsteps and their hopping along side him... until.

"What's your name?"  
"Why are you so short?"  
"How did you get here?"  
"How old are you?"  
"Why are you wearing a headband?"  
"Is that a real sword?"  
"Why are you so quiet?"  
"Why'd you leave your friends?" and so on and so on and so on...

A thousand questions echoed through the cave, breaking the silence. Hiei stopped once more and a pile-up insued just as before. Surprisingly, he did not attack them, but answered their questions... well, sort of.

"My name is Hiei."  
"That's none of your business."  
"I got here by running."  
"My age doesn't concern you."  
"That's not for you to know, either."  
"Yes, this is a real sword."  
"Because I like the silence."

"Because they are nothing but fools, and they annoy me." But he frowned at that last question... he knew no matter how much he denied it, he did care about them, even for a demon such as himself  
They smiled, at the sight of Hiei turning back around to find the others. Rather than a "thank-you," or anything more, Hiei rushed off with a smirk that meant, "thank-you," but a feint response of, "Baka youkai..." They only smiled and said good-bye. Halfway through the tunnel, Hiei met up with Kurama, and they continued along until, they too, reached the end of the cave.  
Kuwabara had left sometime ago and was still searching for Yusuke.  
"Yusuke? Urameshi, where are ya?!" There was no reply.  
Yusuke however knew that Kuwabara wasn't far behind, so he and the others hid. He decided to play a little trick on Kuwabara. Eikichi, Kuwabara's kitten, had just recently snuck out of the house, and this made Kuwabara worry... a lot. Eikichi was missing for three days, and those three days had Kuwabara on edge. Up until Now Kuwabara had shown no signs of worry on the subject.  
meow

"Huh? Was that..? Naw, it couldn't be."  
meow meow?

"Eikichi?! Is that you?! Eikichi, where are you?!"  
Yusuke's sick joke of pretending to be Eikichi was taking it's toll on Kuwabara, who loved that kitten more than anything. Dumb enough to think it was actually Eikichi (Yusuke is terrible at pretending to be Eikichi!), he searched frantically around, trying to find him to no avail. All Yusuke could do was snicker at him.

"Shame on you, Yusuke Urameshi!" said Nagimi strictly, surprising both Yusuke and Kuwabara. "BAH! Where'd you come from?!"  
"Don't change the subject!"  
"What subject?! You just decided to sneak up behind me, and scare the living daylights outta me!"  
"...That's not the point! Now go apologize to your friend!"  
"APOLOGIZE?!? I'm not apologizing to him! I didn't do anything wrong!"  
" 'didn't do anything wrong?' You just fooled a poor soul into believing his kitten was lost, now...  
APOLOGIZE!!!!!!!!!!"

He only muffled swears under his breath as he walked over to Kuwabara, who was stifling a laugh at Yusuke, because he had gotten into trouble with a demon no taller than eight inches.

"I'm sorry..." Yusuke said quietly.  
"Uh, could you repeat that?"  
"I'm sorry."  
"I think I might have earwax, 'cuz I couldn't hear a word--"  
"I'M SORRY, OKAY?! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?!" Yelling so loud, that it echoed even out of doors.  
"That's better! Now we need to wait for the others to get here."  
Yusuke was more than eager to change the subject.

"Guess what I found out while you were wandering around in there... Our demon is none other than a... reformed demon."  
"A WHA?! A reformed demon?! Are you sure, Yusuke?"  
"Positive. Those little Hiei knock-offs told me the whole story."  
"Whoa. I wonder if Kurama knows..."As their conversation continued, Hiei and Kurama appeared at the exit of the cave.  
"You wonder if I know what?..."  
"Uh... I-It's nothing! Really!"  
Kuwabara was so surprised by their quick arrival, that he was nearly speechless. (This was not due to his small vocabulary.)

Yusuke, however, told Kurama and Hiei everything, and they were soon off to find their mystery girl.


	9. The Mystery Girl Revealed

Yu Yu Hakusho

Chapter 8: The Mystery Girl Revealed

Everyone, including Hiei, was glad to leave the cave, and return to the other side. They kept on talking as they walked along, and traded information on what they had found out.

"So he's a reformed demon?"

"Yeah, but unlike you, he's fully seperated from her."

The conversation went on as they approached the house of the girl, who's name was Ikaida Willabari.

Yusuke knocked two times before the door was quickly opened by her mother. Kurama spoke up.

"We're here to see Ikaida."

"Oh! Come in then."

Apparently, Ikaida didn't have very many friends or visitors, because when Kurama said this, her mother was quite astonished.

"Cool house!"

"It's like a mansion. It's so big!"

Not only was Kuwabara amazed, but so were the others, even Hiei looked a bit curious. The house wasn't a mansion at all, but was big enough to be fit for royalty. Large pictures adorned the walls, large pieces of furniture added more look to it, and in every room, there were candles. Obviously, the first room Kuwabara visited, rather than to look for the girl, was the kitchen. The smallest room and the largest room seemed to catch Kurama's eye. The smallest room brought a little surprise to them...

It was entirely red!!!! And so were the things in it. Hiei seemed to gravitate to this room, so he decided to stick around. The largest room was very similar, but quite the opposite. It was purple, purple, and more purple!

"Themes are definitely not in short supply in this house," Kurama said, chuckling to himself.

And the middle room wasn't without it's theme either. This room was as yellow as yellow could get! And just outside of the room, to the left, was the bathroom which as it turned out, to no one's surprise...

was pink!

"MAN, DOES EVERYBODY HAVE THEIR OWN COLOR HERE OR SOMETHING?!" Yusuke couldn't stand the pinkness, and stormed out into the hall.

Kuwabara found himself looking at everything and was enjoying himself here.

Just then, the door opened and someone walked in.

It was Ikaida. She wasn't what everybody had expected. She was a very homely looking girl with long hair that went to her lower back.

She was around Yusuke's height, and looked very angry at the time. Her hair was black with a small hint of brown in it due to the hair gel. She had brown eyes very similar to his.

Yusuke noticed this.

Kurama had expected an average everyday girl, like the ones that flocked to and around him at school, but what he got was a girl who was just as intelligent as him. He had noticed the dozens of trophies in her room for the highest grades and the highest grade point averages. It made him think of what a challenge it would be to have to compete with two people at his high school for the best grades. Kaitou and Ikaida.

What Hiei noticed was her clinched fist and her blue backpack in her left hand.

She too, was wearing a headband, but not over her forehead. It to, of course, was blue. She had apparently no social manners, that or she wasn't in a social mood, because she had a look in her eyes, that only Hiei, himself, could strike fear with. This, he admired, and smirked.

There was complete silence for a moment, except the sound of the washing machine. Nothing happened between the five of them for a moment, until she went to her room and threw her backpack down on the floor, kicked off her shoes, and walked back out.

The response they received was more than enough to give them all heart attacks.

"Do I know you?" she said sweetly.

anime fall

Her sour mood had somehow instantly changed to a cheery one, which reminded Yusuke of Botan. Kurama only smiled and sweatdropped. Kurama then began to speak.

"My name is Shuuichi Minamino. And these are my friends, Kazuma Kuwabara, Yusuke Urameshi, and..."

But before he could finish, everyone made a remark about what he had said.

"Kurama, what diddya say that for?! Nobody says my first name, except my sister."

"What did you go and tell her my name for, Kurama?"

After this, Hiei put a hand in Kurama's face, which obviously meant to not tell her his name. Yusuke took over from there.

"Are you Ikaida Willabari?"

"Yeah, why? Do ya need me for something or something like that?"

"We, uh, kinda wanted to ask you some questions about something."

She wasn't stupid, because despite the "something" Yusuke used, she knew what he was refering to.

"Lemme guess. That 'something' is the demon, right?"

"Yeah, it is."

"If you wanna know how to stop it...

even I don't know.

I've tried talking to him many times since we seperated from each other, but he just won't listen. It's my fault that he's like this, ya know.

I was angry at my friends for what they did to me, and that anger spawned something inside of me that I couldn't stop."

"It's not your fault," Kurama interupted. "He only wanted to cheer you up. To make them pay for causing you sadness, but his heart was in the wrong place."

Her face began to grow sorrowful, but that look of sorrow soon turned into a look of anger.

"You just don't understand!" "He felt what I felt! I was the one who wanted to hurt them! I was the one who wanted revenge! I was the one who thought that doing away with them would make me happy again...

now I just realize that it was all a big mistake..."

She began to cry and ran to her room.

"Ikaida, wait!"

Kurama called after her, but it was no use. She slammed the door shut. From inside, Hiei could hear heavy metal being played on the stereo.

"Now what?" Yusuke asked irritantly.

"We need to convince her to come out of her room, and help us stop him. She's the only one who can do it. Not you, not me, but her." Kurama was going to do whatever it took to stop Yokaryu, and help him realize his mistake.


	10. Broken Promises and a Broken Heart

Yu Yu Hakusho

Chapter 9: Broken Promises and a Broken Heart

Hiei wasn't one for patience with humans,and soon decided to try and convince her to come out.

He just barely pushed the door open, when she cut the stereo off.

"Whadda ya want?"

The way she said it, reminded Hiei of Genkai.

"Hn."

"Whatever."

"You know, whether you know it or not, you're the only one who can stop him."

"You're just saying that, so that I'll leave the room. Aren't you? Even if I could, I have no way of knowing how to stop him."

"Learning how to stop him is all a part of the experience."

He left the room with a smirk on his face.

"Hiei, did you talk to her?"

"Yes, I did..." Botan butted in.

"Good! What did she say?"

"Nothing really."

Although Yusuke was growing angry, for not getting a proper response, Kurama knew full well what Hiei meant.

"Hiei! You better give us answers or I'll--"

"That's enough, Yusuke. We've got all we need."

"But, Kurama. You can't seriously mean to tell me that you know what Hiei's talking about?"

"Please, Yusuke, just be patient."

Kuwabara wasn't sure what was going on, and questioned Kurama.

"Be patient for what?!"

In no time at all, after he had said this, did she leave the room to come and greet them.

"I guess, I'll go. I'm not sure if I'll be any help, though."

"That's the spirit!"

Botan was in an unusually good mood, and it was scaring everybody, even Hiei. Despite the weirdness, Yusuke continued the conversation.

"So, are you ready to go?"

"Already?! I-I don't know... I mean, what if I can't do it? What if I just make it worse?"

"Don't worry. The only one here who can make it worse, is probably Kuwabara."

"Hey!"

"Well, alright. I guess."

She wasn't one for courage, but when it came right down to it, she was as brave as a person could get. She didn't have friends to help her out or cheer her on, which is probably why she always seemed to chicken out of most things. But somehow she continued to keep on going. Having Yusuke and the others give her more courage, made her feel a little better. This newfound courage made her realize just what it was she had to do. She had gotten all the things she planned to bring, put them into her backpack, and followed the others out the door.

"Where is he at?" She said quietly.

"He was in a cave on the other side of the island," Yusuke answered.

"I know that cave!"

"You do?"

"When I was little, I used to go down to that cave, and look at the flowers. There were always these cute, little fuzzy things that lived there, and I really wanted to play with 'em. So, I would always take some stuff with me that I knew they would love to eat. Then one day I found out that they talked. They always seemed so excited when I went there, and then I knew why. They kept calling me, 'master.' That was when I learned that I was a housing for a demon. They always talked about how ruthless he was, and I guess I was a little scared. But then..."

"But then what?"

"...but then I learned that spending so much time with me, has taught him to be kinder, and more caring. After that, he gained enough spirit energy back to transfer his soul to the body of one of those little things until he was able to free himself completely. Somehow he was able to revert back to his original form that way."

"So that's how he was doing it..."

A puzzled look came over Kurama's face. He wondered why, after seperating his spirit form, had he not tried to hurt her. Whenever He had turned back into his original form, he always became the same old ruthless Youko Kurama. This was a very confusing matter, even for someone as intelligent as him. Perhaps it was because he wasn't in his complete original form. Or maybe he had learned a little more about kindness than Kurama did. Whatever it was, it didn't matter as much as finding out where he was, and putting a stop to all this madness.

As they approached the cave, all the little demons, including Nagimi, came to greet them.

"Hello all!"

"Yeah, whatever. Listen, is he still around here?" Yusuke was in a strangely awful mood and was looking in every direction. Ikaida suspected that it had something to do with her story. Maybe he thought she wanted pity for what had happened to her. She couldn't tell. All she knew was that his sour mood was going to make her neutral mood sour all over again. She was getting worried, so she decided to take over.

"Yusuke, please! Now tell us. Where is he?"

"I'm afraid we don't know, miss. He is gone since your battle with him in the cave. We've no idea of his lodgings."

"I see."

Ikaida had a frown on her face, but it was from the thought of the little demons crowded around her.

"You know, you guys don't have to call me master."

"But you are our master."

"Yeah, but still..."

"That's enough." Hiei had grown impatient, and was tracing his demon energy in the direction he had headed. Yusuke and the others said their goodbyes, then tried to catch up with Hiei.

"Hiei, wait up," Yusuke called out.

It took them a while, but they finally caught up with him. He had gone back to her house and found the demon sitting in the oak tree in her backyard. Kurama saw a look of sadness on his face. A look that only Ikaida herself, could decifer. He knew then and there that something was wrong.

"Yokaryu, what have you done this time?"

"I tried... but I failed. I tried so hard to do what I could. I tried so hard not to break my promise... but I just couldn't..." It was almost as if he were in a trance. He was babbling on and on about broken promises, and it was making Yusuke lose his temper.

"Alright, listen up! Do you realize just what kind of trouble you're causing, cause even for such a powerful demon-gone-good, I don't think you care."

"I was trying to make her feel better. I just wanted to cheer her up. I only wanted to make her happy... but somehow... I just seem to make things worse!"

"Yeah, we know. All those kids you attacked... And it looks like it's only going to get really bad after this!"

Yusuke let loose his spirit gun, and was so sure it would hit, until hundreds of long lengthy hairs appeared as if from out of nowhere. Each one embedding itself under their skin. It was them they were trying to attack, rather than go after Ikaida. They could not escape their weakening state and Yusuke and Kuwabara could barely stand due to loss of spirit energy. They had lost so much in fact, that they couldn't even use their spirit abilities. It even brought Hiei and Kurama to their knees.

"I can't allow you to destroy me. I have to right their wrongs."

"Haven't ya ever heard of 'Two wrongs don't make a right'?"

It was evident that he was ignoring Kuwabara, because he had walked back to the tree and picked an acorn from it rather than make a remark. Everyone was wondering what was going to happen. A thousand questions went through their heads. Would he kill them? Was he weakening without their knowledge? Everything seemed to be hopeless, especially to Ikaida, who was the most hurt by this. She didn't want her new friends OR her old friends to be hurt. All she wanted was for things to go back to the way they were. Normal.


	11. The FireGlow Tree

Yu Yu Hakusho

Chapter 10: The FireGlow Tree

Everyone was in suspense. They watched in horror as something quite unexpected was being formed.

"I call upon the powers of the Reikai, Makai,and Ningankai. Now I summon forth the ultimate destruction!"

Within minutes, the acorn had been dropped, and as if by some evil force, it sunk into the ground all on it's own. The sky grew dark, and an ugly feeling came over everyone, as roots began to erupt from the ground, and flames spewed everywhere. A great black tree began to grow before their very eyes. The grass upon which it stood, and all the grass around it for yards, began to die and wither. It looked barren, but the black lights and fire were it's fruit. Although this evil tree was menacing, it was Kurama, who seemed to fear it the most.

"Th-that's the.. "

"Kurama! Kurama, are you okay?!"

Yusuke called and called, but there was no answer. Kurama was shut off from everything around him. All he could see was the big black tree standing in front of him. It seemed to seep into him, like a snake's poison seeps into a wound, and it had everyone else worried. His face had gone lifeless and pale.

"Kurama, can you here me?"

"Th-that's the.."

"Kurama... what is it?"

"That's... the FireGlow tree."

A look of surprise came over everyone. Why was he, a master of plants, so afraid of a tree? The name he gave didn't seem to be that special, but if Kurama was afraid, then something MUST be wrong...

"What is that butt-ugly thing?!"

"This is the tree of FireGlow. This great tree must have the power of four. You were perfect for the job."

"What are you talking about?! We didn't do anything!"

"On the contrary. You've done quite a bit, Yusuke. You see, when I drained all your energy, I transfered it all into this here little acorn, which I planted. Kurama's powers over flora made the tree grow. And Hiei's blackfire helped as well... as you can see before you. As for you. Yusuke. Kuwabara. All I needed was your spirit energy to make it twice as strong."

"You're sick! I can't believe you. What do you expect to do with this worthless pile a wood anyway?!"

"Much. These roots can go just about anywere. Even after those chidren. Where I fail, the tree succeeds. This tree has a deadly touch. Eating it's fruit, means an eternity of fire and burning, and you wouldn't even have to be in Hell. And this tree's roots secrete a deadly acid. AND as an added bonus. It can steal your life energy by wrapping itself tightly around you. Care for me to demonstrate?"

Within moments they were lifted off the ground by the tree's roots and branches. Dangling helplessly, Hiei couldn't even reach his katana. There was no escape, or so it seemed... What would happen to them? Not a soul could answer that question. It was almost as if it were impossible to destroy him. Someone who could take your powers, and make them their own. Yusuke thought that there might be a relation between him and Rando, but he, nor anyone else for that matter, in their right mind, was going to ask him that. Now only time would tell...

"What are you going to do with us, Yokaryu?"

"What an absurd question, Hiei. What does it look like I'm going to do to you. I'm going to destroy you of course. Well the tree's going to destroy you, anyway."

Just then the tree's branches wrapped themselves tighter around them. By now, Yusuke and Kuwabara were unconscious. Hiei had distracted Yokaryu enough to get his katana. Now he was cutting away at the branches without any trouble. This was beginning to weaken the rest of the tree, and it had begun to loosen it's grip on the others. Loose enough for the others to regain consiousness. With the tree in a vulnerable state, Yusuke decided to make it even more useless.

"Now I'm gonna show you just how strong I am." He used his spirit shotgun and aimed at the tree's trunk, blasting a hole in the middle. Much like a human, it made a moaning noise.

"What are you doing?!"

"I'm gettin' rid of this damn, annoying tree!"

"How are you going to do that?"

"Simple. I'm gonna keep firing away at it, until it's gone."

Yusuke shot at it dozens more times, making the hole three times as big. The damage was lengthy and the tree was starting to lean and fall. This made the tree angry, and it hit Yusuke hard with one of it's thick branches, sending him flying.

But before he could do anymore damage, the tree began to stop wilting. It had started to stand upright once more, and had already started healing itself... but not before Hiei had gotten loose. He was irritated by this, and was ready to ask just what it was that Yokaryu had done to Kurama, who was still helplessly lost in a trance.

"What have you done to Kurama?"

"I've done nothing at all. I believe you mean, what has the FireGlow tree done to Kurama."

"What?!"

"Ahh, how pitiful. For a demon as intelligent as you, you just don't seem to understand the nature of trees. When we were together, we learned about each other's special abilities. My ability to take another's power, and his abiltity to control plants. But something that caught my attention, was his ability to control the elusive, Death Tree. It was a tree that no mortal man could withstand. He, however, told me of a tree that not even he had the power over, the FireGlow Tree. It almost destroyed him. It came from the deepest depths of Hell. A tree that brought fear to anyone in nature, by that, in this case, I mean Kurama."

Hiei could only watch as Kurama dangled there. lost in his own fear of the tree.

"If Kurama couldn't control the tree, then how can you?"

"Good question. As I stated before, I needed the power of four, not only that, but I also need four certain powers... Kurama's power allowed me to control just how fast I wanted it to grow. Your power, Hiei, allowed me to take control of the glowing fruit which grows on this tree. That fruit provides the tree with most of it's power. Then finally I need Yusuke and Kuwabara's spirit energy to keep ultimate control over the entire tree. Does that answer your question? Kurama was weak. And now I am the strongest."


	12. The Best You Can Be

Yu Yu Hakusho

Chapter 11: The Best You Can Be

Ikaida was furious. She only wanted this madness to end. The only thing left to do, was for her to stop it all on her own, something she never thought that she would have to do."Yokaryu, stop this!"

"Stop what?"

"This! I didn't know it would come to this. You hurting everybody? I can see now that what I wanted was wrong. I don't want you to hurt my friends."

"Your friends? They're not your friends! If they were your friends, they would never have done this to you."

"They may not be, but that doesn't give you the right to hurt them! Just because they aren't, doesn't mean I can't be nice to them. Yusuke and the others ARE my friends. I know. They would never have had faith in me to come here and confront you if they weren't. I need to learn to let the criticism roll off my back. It's human nature. I think that's something you might have forgotten."

"I haven't forgotten anything! I'm not human, and you know that, Ikaida. I don't have to worry about such worthless emotions. Besides, what would I have to do with any of this?"

"Don't you remember? You and I have been together for fourteen years, Surely, something must have stuck. You learned that it wasn't everything to be the most powerful, that it was just fine being the best you could be. Remember?"

Eight years ago...

"Yokaryu, were you big and strong?"

"I guess you could say that. Heh. I always wanted to be the most powerful of everyone I met. I would do anything to be the strongest. I would destroy anyone that got in my way. There was this one demon that I was really... jealous of, because he was stronger, and I wanted so much to be better than him. But..."

"But what?"

"...but I learned from you, that being the strongest or the best isn't everything."

"It's not? My mommy always said that you have to be the best, and that you have to do better than everybody else. She always said that I couldn't let anybody do better than me."

"I think your mother's got it all wrong. I know from being with you, that being good, and being the best you can be, is all that matters."

Yokaryu was at a loss for words. Something inside of him was at war with the things from his past. One told him not to listen, but something else told him to give in. Whatever it was, he couldn't stand it.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" He hit Ikaida so hard that it sent her far across the field. She landed on her side.

"Ikaida!"

They called after her, but it was no use. She was out like a light. These events were enough to strike Kurama back into reality. Although he was in another world, something still connected him to what was going on. He had just realized what had happened. He could only fathom so much of the anger he felt.

He couldn't understand why he would let the sight of the FireGlow Tree get the best of him. Perhaps he felt a jealousy of Yokaryu, very similar to the jealousy Yokaryu felt of him.

Kurama had always had belief in her; belief that she could turn things around. That he would deny all that he had been through with her, was enough to make Kurama sick. He knew however, that even though he was denying this, there was something left of the new Yokaryu. Although he didn't want to, he knew what he had to do. It was risky, but it was the only option he, or anyone else had left, especially, Ikaida. He had to change to his original form, Youko Kurama.


	13. Of Demons and Plants

Yu Yu Hakusho

Chapter 12: Of Demons and Plants

It was time. The moment he dreaded. He had no idea what would happen. Would his former self's reappearence cause another rivalry between them, or would it bring back the old rivalry that was never finished? He couldn't let that stop him... Within minutes, the transformation was complete. His beautiful, red hair was a nice shiny silver, (and he had cute fox ears to boot!) His emerald, green eyes were now a precious amber color. This was the Kurama that Yokaryu knew.

"I thought I would never see you again, Youko Kurama."

"Why? Did you wish to be defeated again? Because that can be arranged."

"Just as independant as ever, aren't you? You know, the only reason you defeated me before, was because you were more powerful than me. But now the tables have turned! As you can clearly see, I'm the only one who can control this tree."

"We'll see." Kurama had finally gained enough strength and courage to confront his old partner, but there was something else still standing in his way, the FireGlow Tree.

He began to walk closer to Yokaryu, making him step back just a little.

"What are you planning to do, Kurama? Stop me?" He laughed in confidence over his newfound abilities but didn't even notice that Kurama was more than willing to put a stop to him now. He was no longer living in fear of the tree which once haunted his nightmares; it was time to put an end to the foolishness.

" I believe you've forgotten how good I am with plants, Yokaryu. Let me show you." With that, he raised his hand in the air. Yusuke and the others began to stare. Hiei thought it looked a bit silly, but then they noticed something coming out of the ground.

"What are you attempting, Kurama? Is this some sort of game?"

"I'd like to think of it as settling the score."

An odd plant no one had ever seen before began to sprout close to the tree. Much like the Sinning Tree, it's trunk had a bluish hew to it, but it was much different in many ways. Small pinkish fruit began to grow on it's branches, and began to twist and curl in a withering fashion. In no time at all, it was standing erect, full height to the FireGlow Tree. But Yusuke wasn't impressed.

"C'mon, Kurama, you're gonna fight him with that?!? Get real, man!"

"Don't loose faith in me yet, Yusuke." Yokaryu was growing impatient, and summoned the tree to wrap it's branches once more around Kurama, only this time, it didn't work. In fact, as grew it closer to him, it's branches began to spread out and grow past him, almost as if some unseen force was fending it off. Ikaida woke up just in time to see Youko Kurama show off his new plant.

"What's happening to my FireGlow Tree?!? Why won't it attack?!?"

"Have you forgotten? I can control plants! What made you think this one would be any different?!? HA HA HA!!! You don't seem to comprehend the way this works!"

"IMPOSSIBLE!!!!! Only I can control the FireGlow Tree! You were never able to control it before!"

"Things change. Besides, I'm much stronger now, and who says I'm controlling it?" An evilish grin broke over Kurama's face and the others began to worry, but it was Hiei who began to notice the true effects of the new plant. Hiei saw that were it stood, the grass was beginning to regrow as beautifully as ever, and the branches of this new tree caused the the FireGLow Tree to wither and decay.

"W-what's happening?" Ikaida moaned. Yusuke had just gotten up onto his feet, when a giant black branch fell at his feet.

"WHOA! Watch it! that almost hit me!"

"Sorry," Kurama said in an uncaring tone. Kuwabara helped Ikaida up onto her feet as Hiei walked a little closer into the fray.

"What is that damned plant doing to my tree?!?"

"Killing it," he said with a smirk. He continued.

"This is a plant no man, demon, or apparition has touched in millinea. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and evil."

Yusuke was stunned. How did Kurama get his hands on that?!? This was only perhaps the most powerful plant in ways anyone could imagine. Of course, it would take Kurama to unlock it's true potential. But he would need the help of a friend.


	14. Forgive and Forget

Yu Yu Hakusho

Chapter 13: Forgive and Forget

Kurama had complete control over any plant with this new tree at his disposal, but this tree was a tree of knowledge, not to mention that it had a mind of it's own.

"Yokaryu. What did you really hope to accomplish by killing innocent children?"

"I wanted to get them out of our way! They did nothing but cause pain! I wanted revenge!"

"'out of our way?' Or out of your way? Revenge is nothing. It only leaves a hole. It does nothing but cause more pain and sadness. It doesn't provide any fulfillment at all. I know this by experience."

"Stop this! why are speaking in riddles?!?" Yokaryu was begining to grow fearful.

"Maybe," he thought, "I'm not good enough to protect her..."

The tree's roots were edging closer...

"Maybe I'm not good enough for anything! I don't deserve to live!!!"

It was then that he fell to his knees in tears. He couldn't understand why he seemed to fail at everything.

"I can't let you get away with this, Youko Kurama!" In no time, the dying FireGlow Tree began to grow upwards once more, and was shooting out towards Kurama. It's branches were forming a claw-like shape, and were ready to crush Kurama to death.

"I already have. Heh."

But it was no use, the tree Kurama had grown was stopping it dead in it's tracks.

"Yokaryu, let me tell you a little something about this tree." The knowledge tree began to sway in Yokaryu's direction, and began to lift him off the ground. Yokaryu struggled to break free, but was too weak.

Ikaida watched in fear of what Kurama might do to him. She had no idea that her new friend was really a demon, and she was even more frightened that he might be even more of a threat than Yokaryu.

"You see, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is a very complex being because it is neither good nor evil. It could even kill me were I careless enough to allow it. It is an all-knowing plant of sorts, which is why your ridiculous tree falls in it's presence; it knows everyone and everything's weakness It's also quite intelligent in other ways. It can read minds."

The tree's branches were tightening themselves around him, and he was only getting closer to death. But Youko Kurama had different plans for the demon.

"Yokaryu! Yokaryu! Please speak to me!" Ikaida was struggling to stand on her own, but was still quite weak from the beating she received and was leaning on Kuwabara for support.

"I don't think he can hear you, Ikaida." Yusuke was as frightened as anyone else. He was hoping so much that Kurama wouldn't kill him, but he knew that telling him to stop wouldn't be an option.

Yokaryu was fading out of consciousness, and was barely alive. He had very little strength left, and wasn't even sure if he was still alive now. Ikaida's voice was still calling for him, but he couldn't answer. She was fading out. He couldn't keep going any longer.

"Yokaryu. Can ya hear me? Yokaryu? Wake up!"

Someone was calling him.

"Yokaryu, I sure hope you're in there. Please don't give up on yourself yet."

"H-hello? Who's there? Who's calling me?"

"Don't be silly! It's me, Ikaida!"

"I-is this... a dream?"

He had no idea what was happening, but suspected that he was dead. It couldn't have been Ikaida. He was still struggling to survive on the outside, and Ikaida was praying with everything in her that he would be okay.

"Why'd you fall asleep? Don'tchya wanna play with me anymore???"

"Play?"

"Uh-huh. You were playing the bad guy, and I was playing the good guy. You were winning until I pulled out my new toy daddy got me, then you fell asleep."

"I... fell asleep?"

"Uh-huh. You said you weren't good enough, and then you fell asleep! Did you forget?"

"But I 'm not good enough..."

Although he couldn't see her, he knew her voice better than anyone. It was the same voice she had when she was little. She sounded happier than ever, and a little sad. It was then he realized what was going on.

"Yokaryu! Please, speak to me! You have to wake up!" She was shouting and crying; hoping to get a response from him, but he was still lost in his thoughts.

"What'cha mean you're not good enough?"

"I'm not good enough for anything. I'm not good enough to play with you, I'm not good enough to protect you, and I'm not good enough to be your friend."

"Why you say that?"

"Because it's true!"

"No it's not. You're always good enough for me!"

"But what about when I'm supposed to do something, and then I don't get it right? Everytime I do something, I mess it up for you."

"Nuh-uh. I like when you try to do something nice for me. Like when you got me the cookies from the kitchen when mommy told me not to eat any? He he he!"

"You mean you're not still mad at me for trying to hurt your friends?"

"Nope! I know you mean well, and that's all that matters! Remember what you said? You said that being good, and being the best you can be, is all that matters. As long as you right your wrongs and forgive 'em, then everything will be okay!"

Yokaryu finally understood what he did wrong. He now knew what Kurama meant.

"Maybe Kurama was right," he thought, "maybe revenge isn't everything..."


	15. Friends Again

Yu Yu Hakusho

Chapter 14: Friends Again

Yokaryu was just about dead, and the grip of the Tree of Knowledge only felt like it was getting tighter. Everyone was hoping for the best, but no one knew exactly what it was that Kurama was trying to do.

Kurama was clearly engulfed in the situation and was enjoying watching Yokaryu struggle to break free. But he was also waiting on something else as well.

"So... do you give up, or do you wish for more pain?" Kurama was taunting him, and Ikaida was growing more frightened by the minute.

Suuichi, er, Kurama... or whoever you are! Stop this this instant!!!

He wasn't listening. That or he was ignoring her. To Yusuke and Hiei though, it still felt like he was waiting for something.

"I'm sorry." A feint apology was heard from high above the tree where Yokaryu was dangling. He stopped trying to release himself and had grown quite still. Ikaida walked closer to them in hopes she could finally reach out to him.

"I'm sorry."

"Yokaryu?"

"I'm sorry, Ikaida. I'm so sorry!!" He began sobbing and kept repeating 'I'm sorry' over and over again. For whatever reason it may have been, the tree began to loosen it's grip, and Yokaryu fell to the ground. He was lying there on his hands and knees, crying into the ground. Only after he looked up and saw Ikaaida standing there with her hands held together, did he really come back to reality. He got up as best he could and walked over to her.

"Ikaida. I'm sorry. I really hope you can forgive me for what I've done."

"Of... course." She held her arms out and finally hugged him. But because he was so weak and barely alive, he fell into her arms almost as soon as he had got to her.

He was now on his knees and was trying his best to stand once again, but it was no use. He just clung to her and hugged her harder and harder. She was smiling and crying cause she had her friend back. She didn't know what to say really. It was the first time they had hugged each other. She was almost embarassed, but it still felt right.

"Ya know," she said, "if mom saw this... she'd kill me." Yokaryu looked up at her and smiled before dropping his head in her arms once more.

Kurama had completed his duty and was ready to rest. He had already changed back and was quite weak himself. He had used all of his spirit energy summoning the tree, and could barely keep himself balanced. Yusuke rushed over to him to tell him how thankful he was to have him back... well, sort of.

"Kurama, thank goodness you're okay! You scared the hell out of me! I thought for sure you were gonna turn on us once you got through with him!"

"I'm surprised you didn't kill him myself." Hiei had a contented smirk on his face and despite his remark, congratulated Kurama on a job well done. But Kuwabara was the one, of course who didn't understand what it was that just happened.

"How did you do that, Kurama? A moment ago he was gonna kill everybody, and now he's cryin' his eyes out!"

"I used the tree."

"How?"

"Like I said. The tree reads minds. I used that power to my benefit. She couldn't reach him in the conventional way of just talking, so basically, I had to--"

"--squeeze the living daylights out of him just to get his attention?"

"...precisely."

Everyone was reunited and even the small demons which lived in the cave were glad that the situation was over and that everyone was back together again. But Yokaryu hadn't done everything he set out to do. He still had to make ammends and "right his wrongs" just like Ikaida said he should. He limped over to Kurama with help from Ikaida, who held on to him and stood by his side.

"I'm sorry."

"For what really?"

"For this! After all these years, I still kept trying to defeat you. That life was over. I should've given up."

"Don't give up. You have a new life now. One with real friends. No one who will judge you or depend on you to fail. The same goes for me; Yusuke and the others. I'm your friend too, you know?"

"Oh, really?"

"Heh. I would have killed you were I not."

They laughed and talked together for hours. The broken pieces of their life were now put back together, and they were finally friends; something that Yokaryu never had intended years ago.

Now that Kurama and Yokaryu had made ends meet, everyone could return to their same daily routine of life, and Yusuke could finally get back to being as Yusuke put it, "Yusuke Urameshi. Fearless protector of the good stuff with a healthy kick of nastiness and a general hate for authority." But not before another assignment brought to him straight at his front door by Botan. It was the next day, and she was in a better than great mood.

"Yoo-hoo! Yusuke! I've got another mission for you."

"Hell. No!"

The End


End file.
